A video shows a man assaulting a pregnant woman before he was shot by another man.
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A North Carolina man is in jail after confessing to shooting an acquaintance five times, saying he was in danger from the man who had just brutally assaulted a pregnant woman, the Wilmington Police Department said.

The 20-year-old said he was responding to commotion Sunday at the Houston Moore housing complex, when he encountered the other man, who police identified as Antonio Spencer, and they got into a fight, according to WECT.

“There was all this screaming and yelling, but before I could even ask what was going on, he had his gun out,” said Allen, telling the TV station after a scuffle he picked up Spencer’s gun and shot him five times.

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That attack occurred in the street in front of several witnesses and was recorded, posted online and has been viewed thousands of times. The YouTube video is available here, but beware that it has graphic and disturbing content and language.

The video shows the man grabbing, picking up, dragging and kicking the woman.

Allen said he knew Spencer, 30, before Sunday’s shooting, saying “they were on good terms,” according to WECT.

Spencer’s mother disputed that, saying there was bad blood between the men.

“I knew about the ongoing beef,” said Rachel White, who told WWAY the video did not show what the pregnant woman did to her son before the attack. “Don’t nobody know this girl’s background and they didn’t show the first part of the video where she was slapping and spitting on him.”

After the shooting, police said Spencer was taken to an area hospital, where he is in “stable condition,” Star News Online reported.

The woman was also hospitalized, according to the news outlet.

After she was released, the woman said “her baby was unharmed,” WECT reported.

Allen was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon, per Star News Online.

Police said Spencer could face charges for assaulting the woman, according to WWAY.

“He was hitting a pregnant woman, then he had a gun on me, so it’s my life or his life, and I’d rather be ahead than dead,” Allen said, WECT reported.

Witnessing a crime and reporting it can be just as frightening as being the victim of a crime. Here’s what you should do if you witness illegal activity.